The Patient from Silvertree: Book One in the Silvertree Series

by Marian Dribus

  Owen led them up the staircase that twisted around the perimeter of the room, and as Lisa went up the carpeted steps, she gazed at the portraits lining the walls. It wasn’t long before she caught a glimpse of George Hamilton’s heartless visage surveying her with a malevolent glare from an enormous canvas hanging in the place of honor above the landing. His shiny bald head was as pale as a skull, and his cheeks appeared to be melting off his face, hanging down in flabby rolls around his rectangular jaw.

  “I’ve prepared a special place for the bride,” said Owen, guiding Molly along with a hand on her arm. “I’ll show you where it is. It was originally the bedroom of George Hamilton’s beloved daughter. She was a marvelous woman, as you probably noticed from her portrait, but she died of a broken heart.”

  “Do you know much about the family?” said Lisa’s mother.

  “Only bits and pieces,” said Owen. “When I was young, my mother used to tell me stories about the house and its occupants. That was the beginning of my interest, and when I got the opportunity to live here, I couldn’t refuse. It’s rewarding to preserve such a colorful piece of history, but it’s not easy. I had to fight long and hard to prevent this place from being destroyed. Believe it or not, there are some people in this town who would like nothing more than to obliterate any memory of the Hamiltons.”

  Molly had somehow managed to get away from Owen. She lagged behind the group, carelessly allowing her dress to drag along the floor, and gazed at her surroundings with admiration. Owen didn’t say anything, but Lisa sensed he was eager to get rid of them. She wondered why. Maybe he was hiding something.

  “What are all these rooms for?” said Molly, gesturing at the doors that lined the hall. “I feel like a princess in a castle. This is so much fun. I wish I could explore.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible,” said Owen. “Many of the items that belonged to the original owners are very fragile. There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done before they’re ready to be viewed by the public. I’m planning to organize a museum of sorts in the library downstairs, but I’m still figuring out the details.”

  “What’s in here?” said Molly. Before Owen could stop her, she flung open the nearest door. Lisa looked in and saw a splendid room with a Persian rug on the floor and heavy red curtains covering the windows. The room was occupied by an ancient desk made of carved wood and a set of parlor chairs upholstered with gold satin cloth. A bookcase stood against the far wall beside a gaping fireplace.

  “Don’t go in there!” said Owen. “It’s not allowed.” He slammed the door in Molly’s face and stood in front of it, glaring at her with no hint of his former benevolence. Lisa was astonished by his transformation. Molly backed away.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know.”

  Owen regained his composure.

  “It’s not your fault,” he said. “I forgot to lock the door when I came out. That’s George Hamilton’s private study. There are important papers all over the desk—documents that need to be protected at all costs. I’ve spent the last few days sorting through them, trying to construct a timeline of the business deals he made during the height of his success. He was a genius when it came to that sort of thing.”

  “I just knew it was something special,” said Molly, not at all flustered by his hostility. “It’s so fancy. Maybe after the wedding, Graham and I can come back, and you can show us around properly.”

  Owen didn’t reply. Molly allowed him to lead her to the door at the end of the hall, which opened to reveal a bedroom with a vaulted ceiling. Lisa thought it was the most exquisite room she had ever seen, and it was so spacious that it made her feel small. A rug with floral designs covered the floor, and a canopy bed decorated with purple curtains stood near the window. A wardrobe took up most of the space in the near corner, and a vanity with a tall mirror occupied the far corner.

  “I hope this will suffice,” said Owen.

  “Oh, it’s wonderful,” said Molly. “I feel right at home.”

  “Good,” said Owen. “In that case, I’ll take your friends downstairs so you can change into your dress.”

  Lisa’s mother promised to come back after confirming the other preparations were in order, and she and Richard left without another word. Lisa reluctantly focused her attention on the task at hand. It was up to her to make Molly presentable, and it wouldn’t be easy. She hung up Molly’s wedding dress in the wardrobe and tried to smooth out the wrinkles while Molly gazed around with shining eyes.

  “This place is amazing,” she said. “I was a little worried about not having a rehearsal because I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s so much better this way. Graham knows how much I love surprises. I trusted him, and he came through. It makes me love him even more. There’s just one thing that’s missing.”

  She reached into her purse, pulled out a tiny garden gnome, and put it on the vanity. Lisa continued struggling with the wrinkles. She eventually concluded the only solution was to steam the dress in the shower, but Molly refused to wait.

  “It looks fine, Lisa,” she said. “Just let me put it on already.”

  Lisa decided not to argue with her. She tugged the enormous garment over Molly’s head, zipped it up, and piled the surplus material in a shapeless heap on the ground behind Molly’s ankles. When she was satisfied, she began buttoning up the row of white buttons that ran from Molly’s waist to the back of her neck.

  “I hope Sabrina is feeling better,” said Molly. “Will she be at the ceremony?”

  “No, she’s not coming,” said Lisa.

  “Poor thing,” said Molly, shaking her head. “I don’t want her to miss out on all the fun. I asked Graham if we could stop by your house after the wedding and say hello to her, but he didn’t want to. He said there was no point.”

  Lisa finished buttoning Molly’s dress and settled her on the chair in front of the vanity under the watchful gaze of the garden gnome. She curled Molly’s sparse hair, pinned it up, and attached the veil to Molly’s head. Then, she arranged the cloth around Molly’s shoulders and stood back to evaluate her work. To her surprise, Molly had transformed into a radiant version of her former self.

  “How do I look?” said Molly.

  “Wonderful,” said Lisa. “See for yourself.”

  Molly leaped to her feet and gasped with excitement.

  “This is amazing,” she said, swirling around in front of the mirror. “I look ten years younger. I can’t wait to show Graham.”

  “Are you absolutely sure he’s the one?” said Lisa.

  “I’m sure,” said Molly. “It will be like that for you, too, once you meet the right person. You’ll be swept off your feet, and nothing will ever be the same again. Oh, that reminds me—your mother was talking to me about Sabrina’s children, and she mentioned one in particular. I think she said his name is Josh. She told me he’s just the sort of boy she hopes you’ll marry someday.”

  “She was probably joking,” said Lisa.

  “No,” said Molly. “That’s why I invited his family to the wedding. I wanted to get a good look at him. It’s silly, but I feel responsible for you, Lisa. You deserve the best, and if he’s not worthy of you, I’ll definitely let you know. I’m clever about that sort of thing.”

  Lisa wondered if her mother had been persuaded to imagine such a horrible scenario by Sabrina. She stifled a rising feeling of irritation. Why couldn’t Sabrina just mind her own business? It was bad enough for Sabrina to entertain the idea in the privacy of her own mind, but it was even worse for her to tell other people about it.

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” she said. “It’s never going to happen.”

  “Never say never,” said Molly. “Weddings are magical, and there’s no knowing what wonderful surprises might be waiting for you if you open your heart. Trust me: when Josh sees you in your dress, he’ll forget about everything else. He won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

  Lisa was so alarmed by this remark that she waited
as long as possible to change into her dress. It wasn’t until she heard the growing commotion downstairs as the guests arrived and realized the ceremony was about to begin that she banished Molly into the hall, turned the garden gnome around so it couldn’t see her, and climbed into her dress.

  It was made of red satin, with narrow shoulder straps, a sash, and a flowing skirt. Lisa was so delighted by her appearance that she gradually decided she didn’t care if Josh noticed her after all. His opinion was irrelevant anyway. She was still admiring herself when she heard the scampering of small feet. Veronica rushed in without knocking. She stopped in surprise when she saw Lisa, and her face became uncharacteristically solemn.

  “You look so grown up,” she said.

  “I know,” said Lisa. She had always felt more like a child than a woman, but the dress had performed a miracle, and the age difference between herself and Veronica had never been more obvious.

  “I feel dumb in these ruffles,” said Veronica. Her dress was more elaborate than Lisa’s, but it made her look younger instead of older. “I don’t know what Mom was thinking. She must have secretly wanted to put us in beauty pageants when we were little. Stephen said I looked pretty, but I think he was just being nice.”

  “You look fine, Veronica,” said Lisa.

  “Maybe,” said Veronica. “Either way, Mom wanted me to tell you everything’s ready. The guests are all here, and Graham’s getting panicky. I don’t know why people bother with weddings if they don’t enjoy them.” She paused, and her eyes widened. “What’s that noise? You know this house is haunted, right?”

  “It’s just Molly,” said Lisa. “She’s trying to get back in.”

  “Oh,” said Veronica. “I saw her wandering around at the end of the hall. What’s she doing out there?”

  “I didn’t want her making any crazy remarks about me,” said Lisa. “She’s always getting weird ideas, and you know how pushy she can be when things don’t work out the way she wants them to. Come on, let’s go. If we make her wait much longer, she’ll get hysterical. I hope she doesn’t cry.”

  “I’d cry if I had to marry Graham,” said Veronica. “Ugh, it’s the grossest thing ever. Do you think they’ll kiss?”

  “Of course they’ll kiss,” said Lisa. “It’s a wedding.”

  Veronica made a face, but before she could protest, Lisa’s mother arrived and shoed her away. She escorted Lisa and Molly downstairs and told them to wait outside the grand hall where the ceremony was scheduled to take place. The guests took their seats while music played in the background. Lisa peered through the doors and saw Graham standing there with Owen beside him.

  She studied Graham’s face. Veronica hadn’t been exaggerating: Graham appeared to be on the verge of losing his composure. His cheeks were red, and he kept tugging at the collar of his shirt as if he couldn’t quite catch his breath. Lisa wondered if she should tell Molly about her misgivings. After all, Molly was planning to give her an opinion about Josh. Shouldn’t she return the favor?

  Before she could decide, the music changed to the processional. The situation was out of her control. She made a few adjustments to Molly’s dress to prevent her from tripping over her skirt. The doors opened. Molly walked down the aisle and met Graham at the altar. He clasped her hands between his own, and they stared into each other’s eyes and pledged to spend the rest of their lives together. The pronouncement was made. Graham and Molly shared a lingering kiss and walked out of the grand hall, husband and wife.

  Chapter 10

  Molly’s prediction that Josh wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off Lisa turned out to be incorrect, but only because he was so disturbed by the feelings her appearance provoked that he resolved not to look at her again for the rest of the evening. One inadvertent glance while they were going into the ballroom for the reception was all it took to throw him into a pitiable state of confusion; he realized she was gorgeous, and he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t noticed before.

  He reflected on the situation with a certain degree of desperation as he accompanied his siblings and Richard to the table they were sharing with Lisa’s family in the corner of the ballroom. His mind was in turmoil. What had changed? He hadn’t noticed anything special about Lisa during the ceremony, but then she had smiled at something Veronica had said, and the rational part of his mind had ceased to exist.

  It was the first time he had actually seen her smile—a pure smile of pleasure without any pressure or obligation. He had never seen anything more beautiful. Her deplorable behavior suddenly didn’t seem so unforgivable. He found himself wanting to apologize to her for disrupting her life, wishing he could make friends with her, and wondering what it would feel like to kiss her on the lips. As she wandered around the ballroom with Veronica, he made a conscious effort to ignore her.

  Shannon’s voice brought him back to reality.

  “What do you think the odds are that I can convince the bartender to give me a drink?” she said. “I swiped Mom’s driver’s license, just in case, but she looks a lot older in this picture than she looks in real life, so I don’t know if it will work.”

  “Shannon, that’s not a good idea,” said Josh.

  “Why not?” said Shannon. “Mom and Dad won’t find out. No one’s watching us. Lisa’s annoying parents are too busy hanging out with their rich friends to pay any attention to us, and Richard couldn’t care less what we do.”

  “On the contrary,” said Richard, who was still cradling the parcel in his arms. “I take my responsibilities very seriously, and I have no intention of allowing you to get drunk.”

  “I’m not going to,” said Shannon, rolling her eyes. “I know my limits, so you don’t have to worry. Besides, you’re not responsible for me. You’re not even supposed to be here. Can’t you look the other way?”

  “No,” said Richard. “It would reflect poorly on the family, aside from being a bad example to your little brother.”

  Stephen shrugged apologetically.

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Shannon. “It wouldn’t make any difference to Stephen. Seriously, look at him. He’s completely oblivious. Besides, he’s much too young to realize what’s going on.”

  “So are you,” said Richard. “I suggest you sit down, shut up, and keep a sharp lookout for anything suspicious.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” said Shannon.

  Richard ignored her. Josh followed his gaze and saw Molly and Graham approaching. They were going from table to table, greeting the guests. Molly looked pleased, but Graham’s artificial grin indicated he wasn’t as happy with his married life as he wanted everyone to believe.

  “Let’s see if he’ll take the bait,” said Richard.

  He set the parcel on the table. Josh suspected it was the notebook. He thought Richard was being reckless, but there wasn’t time to protest. Graham and Molly were upon them. Richard scrambled to his feet and congratulated the newlyweds. Josh thought he sounded insincere, but Graham didn’t seem to notice. After a cursory glance at the parcel, he turned his attention to Richard.

  “Thank you,” he said. “We haven’t met yet, but I know who you are. My upbringing was rather unconventional. Let’s just say my family belonged to a cult, for lack of a better term. When I was young, I amused myself by keeping up with current events. I wanted to be the first to know when the apocalypse was coming. My mother owned a little television set, and I would sit on the rug every night before dinner and watch the news, like a child listening to fairy tales. The sweetest saga of all was the demise of that monster Peterson. Believe it or not, you were my hero.”

  “I was?” said Richard.

  “Oh, yes,” said Graham. “You were extremely brave. From what I understand, you reported him as soon as you found out what he was doing, even though you knew he would accuse you of being complicit. You never backed down, even after they threw you into prison and ruined your reputation.”

  “You went to prison?” said Stephen.

  “It was a tem
porary thing,” said Richard. “It’s funny, until Graham reminded me, I’d forgotten all about it. It’s not nearly as exciting as it sounds—quite boring, actually. Not much to do. The food wasn’t good, either. I don’t recommend it.”

  Graham laughed.

  “I’m sure you weren’t so ambivalent about it at the time,” he said. “Without intending to be flippant, I’ve always loved a good martyr. I know it’s not much consolation, but you made a very strong impression on me. In fact, if it hadn’t been for you, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”

  “I think you’re giving me way too much credit,” said Richard. He returned the parcel to his possession, while Graham watched with bleary eyes. “Congratulations again on your marriage, Graham. I hope you and Molly enjoy a long and prosperous life together.”

  Graham seized Molly’s hand.

  “It consoles my heart to have found such an incredible woman,” he said. “I’ve never been happier. I’m sure you understand, especially since your own dear wife is gone forever. My sincerest condolences. I confess I followed your story even after you left the limelight, and when I heard about her suicide—”

  “Suicide?” said Shannon.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Graham. “I assumed your grandchildren already knew. I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward situation, but it’s probably best if you talk to them about it while they’re still young.” He lowered his voice. “That sort of thing tends to run in families, and considering what Molly told me about your daughter-in-law’s imminent death, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if your son decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps.”

  With this ominous remark, he put his arm around Molly’s shoulders and led her away.

  “Did she really kill herself?” said Stephen.

  “No, Graham’s just spouting off the official story because he’s an idiot,” said Richard. “I don’t know what your parents told you about your grandmother, but whatever they said, it’s true. Now, go play with your girlfriend.”