Lullabies & Lies

by Ruby Blaylock

  Annie narrowed her eyes. This isn’t about marriage at your age, Annie told her. This is about Daddy.

  Bessie’s chin quivered slightly. Maybe. I just can’t help but feel like I’d be betraying Robert somehow by marrying Emmett.

  Annie reached out her hands and took Emma from her mother, who promptly retrieved a tissue from the box on the end table beside her. After Bessie had dried her now-moist eyes, Annie spoke to her.

  Mama, I know you loved Daddy, but he wouldn’t want you to be alone forever.

  I’m not alone. I have you and Devon. And Rory, Bessie added. After your father died, I swore I wouldn’t remarry. Annie, I don’t think I could stand losing someone else like I lost your father.

  Annie’s father’s death had been sudden and cruel. He’d only been retired a short time before his unexpected heart attack. He and Bessie had been looking forward to their ‘new’ life together in their Golden Years, but instead her mother had been left completely alone, at least until Annie and Devon had moved back to Coopersville.

  Who says you’re going to lose Emmett? That man’s as healthy as a horse. I mean, he’s still the chief of police in his seventies. I think he’ll probably keep working forever, Annie told her.

  He says he wants to retire and marry me. He says we should be able to enjoy ourselves at our age.

  And isn’t that what you just told me I should do? So why wouldn’t you take your own advice, Mama?

  Bessie took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. I don’t know, Annie. I guess I’m just scared that if we get married it will mess things up. Things are so good right now. I don’t want to tempt fate.

  Annie bounced Emma gently on her knee. The baby was completely oblivious to the women’s tense conversation. I think you can’t ever know what the future holds, Mama. But you do know that Emmett loves you and y’all have fun together. I don’t think you should deny yourself the chance at happiness. And I don’t think Daddy would want you to do that, either.

  Bessie nodded slightly. Maybe. I’m still going to take a little time to think about things.

  Annie smiled. Don’t take too long. Those old biddies at the bingo hall would love to get their hooks into Emmett. From what I hear, he’s a real catch.

  Emma rubbed one chubby fist against her eye. You’d better give her back to me, Bessie warned Annie. This one gets cranky if she doesn’t get her nap in.

  Annie passed the baby back to her mother and watched Bessie settle her into the crook of her arm. I’ll take her upstairs and put her down for a little nap. You can spend some time getting ready for your date with Rory.

  It’s just dinner, Annie told her, not a date.

  Mm-hmm, Bessie replied with a grin, sure it is. You be sure to lock up behind you when you get back home tonight. If you come home tonight, she added impishly.

  Annie would have loved to lob a sassy comeback at her mother, but the woman had already begun ascending the stairs with the baby, leaving Annie to wonder and worry in silence.

  12

  Waking Up in Unexpected Places

  The sound of a rooster crowing woke Annie. She sat up with a start and struggled to orient herself. For a moment of sheer panic, she couldn’t remember where she was. The walls around her weren’t the buttermilk white of her bedroom. The rough cushion beneath her wasn’t her comfortable mattress. Then she remembered the night before, or rather, parts of it.

  Morning, sleepyhead, Rory greeted her, offering her a mug of coffee and two Tylenol. She was about to ask him what he was doing in her room and why he was offering her headache tablets when it hit her. She was in his tiny cottage.

  Annie sat up so suddenly that her head began to spin. The room tilted slightly and a familiar throb greeted her from her temples to the top of her skull. She hadn’t had a hangover in years, but from the way she felt just then, she was about to have a doozy.

  Oh, my god, Rory! What time is it? She looked around the small room—the living room of the cottage—and sighed when her eyes found a digital clock. Six-thirty A.M. She’d stayed out the entire night after swearing to her mother that she wouldn’t. Suddenly Annie was sixteen again, scared that her parents would find out that she hadn’t come home and worried that she’d be in big trouble.

  Annie glanced down at herself hesitantly. Her clothes were a wrinkled mess, her hair probably looked even worse, but she didn’t think she’d done anything too embarrassing. At least, she hoped she hadn’t.

  Rory smiled at her as she took the coffee and pills. I figured you might need these this morning. I mean, you only had three glasses of wine, but they really seemed to go to your head.

  Annie’s head throbbed and her face stung with shame. Oh, Rory, what did I do?

  Nothing too bad, he assured her. Unless you call streaking across the field buck naked bad. Or prank calling your mother bad.

  Annie’s eyes widened in panic. I did what?

  Rory let out a long, loud chuckle. Just kidding! You tried to cheat at Scrabble and ate two helpings of dessert. Lord help us when Annie’s on the drink, he laughed.

  Annie picked up a cushion from the sofa and lobbed it at him. Why’d you let me fall asleep here? Now I’ve got to sneak back in before Mama or Devon see me.

  Rory sipped his coffee thoughtfully. At least your walk of shame is only like fifteen feet. And nothing happened, he added quickly. You’re a grown woman. I guess you can get drunk and fall asleep wherever you want, he told her.

  Yeah, some role model I am for Devon, huh? She swallowed more coffee and began to feel more awake.

  Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve had a rough few days and you were bound to be tired. I think the wine just pushed you over the edge, he added. Besides, it was nice spending so much time with you, even if you were snoring for most of it, he teased.

  Annie put her face in her hands. I’m the worst date ever, aren’t I?

  Rory gave her a serious look. "No, but you are the worst Scrabble cheat ever. You tried to convince me that deadolant was an actual word."

  Annie laughed into her hands, then retrieved her coffee from the small table beside her. Wait, where did you sleep? she asked. If I was on the couch, where did you sleep?

  Rory patted the arms of the chair he was currently inhabiting. Right here. It’s a pretty comfy chair, if you don’t mind sleeping sitting up.

  Oh, Rory, I’m so sorry! You must have had a terrible night. And the food was so good…I was a horrible date.

  Rory shook his head. You were wonderful. You made me laugh so hard last night, I haven’t had that much fun in years.

  Annie patted the sofa beside her. Come over here. Let’s have coffee together.

  Rory joined her on the couch and they sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost to their own thoughts. Despite her initial horror at finding herself waking up in Rory’s bed—the sofa folded out to accommodate two adults—Annie realized that being in the little cottage with Rory felt very natural. It felt easy. It felt somehow right.

  Did you know that Emmett proposed to my mother? she asked, surprising herself. She hadn’t planned on mentioning it to Rory, at least not until her mother had given Emmett an answer, but somehow it felt like Rory should know.

  What did she say?

  She’s thinking about it.

  She’s scared, Rory noted.

  I think more nervous. She said she’s worried about messing up a good thing. And I think she’s also worried that she’s somehow betraying the memory of my father.

  Rory nodded his head. I can understand that. But I hope she doesn’t let her fears stop her from saying yes. I think they’d make a great couple. He sipped his coffee. Do you think they’ll adopt the baby?

  Annie’s eyes widened. "Oh, I hope not. I mean, Mama’s a great foster parent, but I’m not sure she isn’t too old to adopt a child. Besides, it appears that Emma already has a parent." She stressed the word parent a little more than she’d intended. Philip seemed like such an unlikely father, she was still having a hard time w
rapping her head around the idea that Emma was his child.

  I was kidding, Rory told her. "I know they won’t be adopting any children. Still, it would be great to have a wedding here at Rosewood Place. Might even have your barn finished by then, if they don’t rush to say I do."

  Annie grinned like a cat with cream. Rory had been slowly renovating the old barn on the property, using it first as a workshop, but with the ultimate goal of turning it into a premier venue for weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions. Because he was the only one working on it, the project had taken longer than he’d hoped, but Annie knew that it would be spectacular once it was done.

  It still makes me laugh to think that you built an entire cottage in one summer but the barn has taken a couple of years to come together, she teased him.

  Hey, be nice or it’ll take a couple more, he replied with a wink. He finished his coffee and rose to put it in the sink. On his way, he glanced out of the window. I think one of your guests has a problem, he told Annie. Isn’t that Mrs. Marshall out there yelling at the personal assistant?

  Annie leaped to her feet, nearly tripping herself as she tried to get to the window. Outside, several yards away, Marlena was shouting at Gareth. Annie watched in horror as the woman strode up to the man and shoved him, then she stumbled back towards the house. Gareth climbed into one of the Marshall family’s cars and headed down the driveway.

  Well, now, that was weird, Rory acknowledged before continuing on to the sink with his mug.

  That woman is out of her mind. Whatever they’re paying the assistant, I don’t think it’s enough to put up with that kind of abuse. Annie shook her head. I guess it’s no wonder that Kimberly Ashcroft quit working for that family. If that’s how the wife treats the assistant she likes, I can’t imagine what she put Kimberly through.

  The shadow of a thought began to creep into Annie’s mind. Marlena had quite the temper. And she openly admitted that she hated Kimberly. But did she hate her enough to murder her?

  Do you want another cup of coffee? Rory asked, interrupting her thought.

  No, I think I’d better sneak into my house through the back door and pretend like I didn’t sleep at your place, she laughed. I need a shower and a toothbrush, pronto. She sat her own mug in the sink and met Rory’s gaze. I had a wonderful time last night. I think we should do this again sometime, but next time I’ll skip the wine. And I’ll cook for you, she added. It’s only fair.

  Rory grinned. Sounds like a date to me. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her still-aching forehead. I’ll see you later, Annie.

  Annie smiled and made her way out of the tiny cottage. She couldn’t help but notice that her smile was still there when she climbed into the shower ten minutes later. She felt a sort of content feeling that she hoped would last forever, but Annie knew that those sorts of feelings were hard to hang onto, so she savored it while she could.

  13

  An Interest in the Child

  The downstairs sitting room of Rosewood Place was by far the busiest room in the entire house. Visitors and guests at the inn seemed to gravitate towards the room, possibly for the warm sunset views out the westward-facing windows. Some of them were undoubtedly intrigued by the ‘hidden’ library and its door that was so often mistaken for being just another panel on the wall. Of course, the grand, hand-carved fireplace also added to its charm, but it was none of these things that brought Marlena to the cheerful room bright and early Monday morning.

  How old is she? the wealthy woman asked Bessie as she bounced the smiling baby on her knee.

  Oh, well, according to that Philip fellow, she’s nearly seven months old. Bessie smiled warmly at Marlena. They grow so fast, don’t they?

  Marlena entered the room slowly, as if she was unsure of whether or not she’d be welcome.

  Come on in here and have a seat. I can get you some coffee, if you like. Bessie placed the baby in a car seat by her feet. I really do need to go buy one of those baby chairs, she said with a sigh. Poor little thing can’t be comfortable in here all the time.

  Marlena stared at the baby for a long moment. I can see it in her. She looks quite like her mother, she said, allowing a small note of distaste to color her words. But on the whole, she’s quite a beautiful little thing, isn’t she?

  Bessie nodded. Oh, I think all babies are beautiful, but this one is definitely a pretty baby. Those blue eyes and round cheeks make her look like a little angel, don’t you think?

  Bessie reached for the handle of the car seat, aiming to pick it up and take the baby into the kitchen with her. Marlena reached out a hand to stop her.

  You can leave her here with me, if you like. I can watch her while you make the coffee. She seems content—no need to upset her.

  Bessie hesitated. Well, you see, I’m responsible for her as her foster parent. And I’d hate to make a guest do something that I’m supposed to do, she added.

  Nonsense. You’ll only be gone a few minutes. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Marlena cooed at the infant, eliciting a grin from the child. She seems like such a happy baby, Marlena noted. I’m sure she’ll be happy with me.

  Reluctantly, Bessie headed towards the kitchen. She knew that she could hear from the kitchen if the baby cried and she felt certain that she’d be back very quickly. Entering the kitchen, she was surprised to find Annie sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

  Oh, I didn’t hear you get up, Bessie said, pausing long enough to glance back over her shoulder towards the foyer and the sitting room beyond it.

  Annie frowned. What are you looking for back there?

  Bessie sighed. I offered to make Mrs. Marshall a cup of coffee. She’s in the sitting room with the baby. I just felt weird leaving her alone with the child since I’m supposed to be responsible for her.

  Annie nodded. She recalled Marlena’s aggression towards her assistant. Why don’t I go in and look after the baby while you make some coffee? You could just make a pot. I’m sure it will all be drunk, Annie added.

  "Well, I guess that would be a good idea, Bessie admitted. While the coffee’s brewing I can wash up the baby’s bottle from this morning and lay out some chicken for dinner tonight." Annie watched as her mother went through some sort of mental to-do list in her head.

  Mama, you work too hard. Annie smiled at her mother and gave her a pat on the arm. Just worry about the coffee for now. We can take care of everything else later.

  She left Bessie in the kitchen with the coffeemaker and headed to the sitting room. Annie was shocked to find Marlena holding Emma, walking around the room with the infant and whispering something that Annie couldn’t quite hear.

  She was fussing, Marlena offered in way of an explanation. I can’t stand to see babies left to fuss.

  Annie hadn’t heard the baby from the kitchen, though she supposed that she might not have if the baby had only been fussing and not crying outright. I can take her off your hands, she offered, but Marlena hesitated.

  It’s been so long since I held a baby, Marlena admitted. I used to walk around the house with Everett just like this when he was a baby. He was so curious and always wanted to see everything that was going on. The Marshall woman let her gaze wander as she lost herself to her memory for a moment.

  They grow up so quickly, Annie replied. She watched the woman nervously for a moment, afraid that Marlena’s anger towards Kimberly would carry over to the dead woman’s daughter. Marlena hugged the baby gently, breathing in her infant scent. She looked both content and a little bit sad. Annie supposed babies had that effect on some people.

  I wanted more children, Marlena offered. We tried, briefly, but then Maxwell was always busy and for whatever reason it just never happened. So I doted on Everett, but of course he’s grown now and could care less about his mother.

  Annie reached out her arms, offering to take the baby. Reluctantly, Marlena handed her over.

  I’m sure that Everett cares a great deal about you, Annie told her. She smelled something
putrid and realized that Emma needed a diaper change. I think I know why she was fussing, Annie told her guest. She needs a visit to the ladies’ room, she laughed. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll just go and change her. My mother will be back in here with the coffee in a minute.

  Marlena looked at the baby longingly, then nodded her head once. She sat down on the sofa and picked up a celebrity gossip magazine from the coffee table. I’ve sent Gareth out for some things in town this morning, she said without looking at Annie. Could you send him to find me as soon as he gets in?

  It was Annie’s turn to nod now. Sure, no problem. She turned and left Marlena thumbing through the gossip magazine. Emma cooed against her shoulder, her chubby baby fist finding its way into Annie’s hair.

  As they ascended the stairs, Annie thought that she understood Marlena’s melancholy nature. The woman was obviously very lonely and the men in her life didn’t seem to have a clue. Annie wondered if loneliness was enough to drive someone to do something awful, something as horrible as murder? Emma gurgled in Annie’s ear, as if she was reading Annie’s thoughts and trying to provide an answer.

  Let’s get you cleaned up, Annie told the child, pushing the negative thoughts from her mind. She would worry about Marlena later, but first her youngest houseguest needed some assistance in the form of a clean diaper and a nice, long nap.

  14

  Unexpected Assistance and Angry Arrivals

  Annie couldn’t get the baby to settle down in her travel cot for a nap. Every time she tried to walk away from the now-clean infant, Emma started crying. Annie found it was too heartbreaking to simply ignore the baby’s cries and she’d never been one for the Ferber method with her own son, so she retrieved Emma from her cot after more than a few seconds of wailing.

  Somebody doesn’t want to take her nap, Annie muttered to the infant. And somebody else would kill for one. She yawned and glanced around her mother’s perfectly tidy bedroom. The bed was calling her name, but the rocking chair in the corner would have to do. Annie sat in it and began rocking the baby slowly, hoping that the gentle motion would send her off to sleep.