I did not invite Jackson, as he now insisted that I call him, to return with me. My cousin and I had much to talk about—some privacy should be expected. Better to leave these things within the family. I walked through the open door and followed the sounds of breaking dishes or something. A woman screamed in anger, and I heard another crash. The idea of someone deliberately breaking the beautiful things in this house starched my collar. I stormed down the hall and walked into the Blue Room like I owned the place.
“Put it down now, Docie. I will not tell you again.” Karah said, somewhere between tears and anger. “Do not break another thing! You are mad! Just like her!”
Docie grabbed another ceramic dog from the white painted shelf. I looked at the ground in horror. Several other ceramics had already been destroyed; the evidence of Docie’s crimes were scattered all around in piles of broken figurines and ceramic dust.
“You don’t tell me what to do! I am not your servant but hers!” She raised her hand and prepared to destroy another pup, but I grabbed her arm.
“You break another thing, and I will have you arrested! Put it down now, madam.”
So surprised was she that she did as I told her. The ill-tempered Docie dropped the toy dog on the carpeted floor. Luckily for her it did not break. “Now find a broom and dustpan and clean these things up.”
With a sneer she brushed past me, pushing her way out of the room. I doubted she would return, but at least her tantrum had ended. “What happened here, Karah? Is she mad? Are you harmed?”
I walked to her, removing my gloves and tossing them and my hat on a nearby settee. “Let me look at you.” She seemed frozen and was staring at a spot on the floor. I followed her eyes. She appeared transfixed by one particular ceramic, a cocker spaniel with a red ball in its mouth. “Karah, are you all right?”
She pulled her eyes away and stared into my face. I don’t know what I expected to see, but it wasn’t the big black bruise around her eye. “Oh my goodness, Karah! Did Docie do this? You need to see a doctor!”
Finally, realization shone across her face. “Delilah?”
“Yes, it’s me. You told me to come, remember. What has happened here, Karah?”
“Cousin?”
“Yes. Here and in the flesh.” I tried to sound jovial. I still wasn’t sure what I was dealing with here. Suddenly she flung her arms around me.
“Thank God. I prayed that you would come. Don’t leave me here again. You must stay with me, cousin. I do not think she wants me here, but I want to stay. I have to wait for my mother. She promised she would come! She always keeps her promises! But she…she…” She pointed to the destruction and then sank to the carpet, crying. Yes, there was more here than met the eye.
“Karah, shhh…all is well. See? She is gone, and I will not let her harm you again. Come sit on the couch.” Wiping her face on her brown silk dress sleeve she agreed and let me help her up. Before I could question her further, I saw the face of an old, dark-skinned woman peeping in at the door. When she saw me, her yellow eyes widened, and she did not waste any time getting to me.
“I knew that was you, Miss Calpurnia. I said that you would be home soon, and here you are! I am going to have to tell your mother. She will be surprised to hear that you’re home—are you home for good? Would you like some tea? You and your friend? Let ol’ Hooney get you some tea, just like you like it.” So surprised was I that I did not correct her.
“Yes, Hooney. That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
She pinched my cheek with her gnarled finger, and I thought she would hug me, but then her face changed. “You ain’t Miss Calpurnia.” She stepped back in surprise. “Oh, excuse me, miss. I didn’t mean to touch you. I just thought you were my mistress’s daughter come to see me. I feel like an ol’ fool. I guess I won’t need to wake up Miss Christine after all.”
“No, I am not Calpurnia. But I am her sister, Delilah. Miss Christine was my mother.”
Karah had stopped her crying and watched us.
“Oh Lord, can it be true?” Hooney said. “Hannah told me you was okay. But I thought she dropped you somewhere or maybe laid you in the woods. Was you with the doctor? He was a good man, bless him.”
“No, he sent me to the Iversons. I had a new family to take care of me, but now I am back. Karah is my cousin.” Then inspiration struck me. “What happened to her eye, Hooney? Did the other lady, Docie, do this?”
“Child, I don’t know. I heard the commotion and came to see. It could have been her…she’s got a mean streak as wide as the Mobile River. But then again, it could have been someone else.”
I sat next to my cousin. “Tell me what happened, please.”
“I…I…” She started crying again.
I turned to Hooney. “May we have that tea you offered us, Miss Hooney?”
She chuckled. “Oh, it’s not Miss. Just Hooney. Yes, ma’am. I’ll make you some tea just like the kind your sister liked. Lots of honey.”
As she scurried off, I slid the Blue Room door closed behind her and then returned to the settee.
Without waiting for me to ask again, Karah said, “You will never believe me, Delilah. You do not know what has been happening here. It is like the house does not want me here. Things happen. Strange things, and Docie only makes it worse by doing the things she does. She deliberately instigates them.”
“Them? Who?”
“The ghosts. The ghosts of Seven Sisters. They don’t want me here, but I have to stay. I promised my mother I would wait for her.”
I didn’t know what to make of her confession. She had been abused, that much was obvious, but ghosts? I never believed in such things. I suspected that if there were any evil entities in this house, they were all very much alive. I sighed and smiled at my cousin. “I’ll be here as long as you need me. We will face these ghosts together.”
“You promise?”
Trying to bring a lighthearted moment into a very depressing conversation, I raised my hand and said, “I do so promise and swear.”
“Very good. We will have Stokes pick up your things, and you can take your sister’s room. Let me show it to you. Nothing has been moved since she disappeared. You may find some clues about her there.” To my surprise Docie returned to the room with a broom and a dustpan. She did not speak to us but went about her business tidying up the room. We rose to leave but not before I stopped in front of her.
“Everything you have destroyed here today you will replace. You had no right to do so; these belong to my cousin and to me. If you cannot control yourself and keep your temper, then I am sure my cousin can find someone much more suited to this type of home service.” Without a word she continued her work and promptly left us. Karah’s eyes were wide as she watched me. Suddenly she smiled, which made her face appear much younger. I had only met her a few times but always thought of her as solemn and serious. Her smile was a good reminder that she was young—that we were both young and had our lives ahead of us. “Now come show me this room. I hope it is close to yours.”
“It is very close. I am staying in Uncle Louis’ room. I must show you his picture—he was a beautiful man. Quite popular with the ladies in Paris and New Orleans. Maybe one day he will turn up with a new bride. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“I have never heard of him. You must tell me everything.” For the next few hours, we walked through the house. Our tour began in my sister Calpurnia’s room. It was a lovely room, but it looked rather sparse without her personal effects in it. Karah told me not to worry and that all of Calpurnia’s things were in the armoire. I could look through any of it and keep whatever I liked. Someone in the household, presumably a servant of Calpurnia’s, had neatly wrapped up her pretty hair combs, and we found a velvet bag of her necklaces and small rings. My eyes watered just wearing them. To be this close to my sister and now to be with my cousin—the emotion overwhelmed my heart. Next, we went to Louis’ trunks and politely peeked inside them. Karah had been correct; Uncle Louis was unusually
beautiful, with white skin that appeared to glow, blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. His oil painting likeness portrayed him in a blue blazer with copious blue ruffles, and he looked quite dandy. We put the picture in a respectable place on the downstairs mantelpiece.
“Now, let’s go to your mother’s room. I am sure you will want to see it.”
Suddenly, a quiet reverence washed over me. I nodded and followed her back up the stairs. We walked past Calpurnia’s room to the large room on the right. With a sweet smile, Karah opened the door and moved out of the way so I could take in the sight. Instantly I detected the sweet smell of roses. There were none to be seen, but I could smell them nonetheless. “Oh that smell, it’s lovely. Where are the roses? Is that a perfume or something?”
Karah sniffed at the air. “I smell nothing, cousin. Perhaps you washed your hands with rosewater earlier. Anyway, I will leave you alone so you can explore your mother’s room in peace.” Grateful for her thoughtfulness, I nodded as she closed the door quietly. I closed my eyes and then opened them. Here I was at last, in the room where I last saw my mother. I had been an infant then, but now I was a woman. I was suddenly drawn to the bed, my mother’s bed. It was large, with a metal rack that hung above it. It was bare now but I was sure that during my mother’s time, it had held mosquito netting so the lady of the house could sleep without the incessant buzzing and biting. There was a white cotton quilt on top of it now, and I rubbed my hands across it.
Like a child, I crawled in the bed and clutched the pillow. Loneliness overwhelmed me. They’d all left me. My mother, my father, the Iversons and even my sister Calpurnia. Death had taken them all, except for my sister. I refused to give up hope for her. She would return one day, surely. I cried hot tears of grief, and the loneliness of my soul felt so deep it was as if it were a drum pounding. When I thought I couldn’t cry anymore, the smell of roses became stronger and it so comforted me that I fell asleep. I don’t know how long I slept, but it could not have been long because the sun was still high in the sky. I heard the sounds of life downstairs, but at least they were happy sounds. No breaking ceramics, no screaming or beatings. It was a happy day.
Suddenly, the light in the room became bright, so bright I could barely see. I shielded my eyes with my hands and tried to discern its source. The light diminished, and in its place was a woman. I knew, somehow I knew, that this woman was my mother. This was Christine Cottonwood.
I sat up and slung my legs over the side of the bed. “Mother?” She didn’t answer me. She held a white dress out in front of her and then looked at her reflection in the long mirror. She spun about and laughed. So happy was she!
“Oh! Callie, darling. You startled me. Don’t just sit there—come help me change.”
“But I am not Callie, Mother. I am Delilah.”
“Now, Callie. We do not have time for those kinds of games today. Dr. Page is on his way to take us on a picnic. Come here and hug Mother.” I could not resist her request. I sprang to my feet and ran toward her outstretched arms.
“Mother!” The light returned to the room and flared around her body. She smiled still and seemed not to notice the brightness. I shielded my eyes from fear but kept running toward her. She leaned down with a sweet smile, her arms wide, and I ran into them as she disappeared. I was left clutching the air, feeling the last fleeting bits of her leave me alone in her bedroom. The smell of roses faded in a few seconds and was replaced by the smells of a musty old house and my own sweaty body.
“Mother!” I cried out again. The door opened, and Karah stood in the doorway. She looked at me sadly.
“You saw her.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes! My mother. I saw her right here. I was in the bed, and then she came in the room with a bright light around her. She thought I was my sister, but I did not care. She tried to hug me. She disappeared.” I didn’t cry now. I felt comforted, fortunate that I had seen her. I had seen my mother, not just a painting or a photograph. I saw her with my own two eyes, which should have been impossible. My mother was dead.
“They are all here in this house. I see them too. I never wanted to come here, you know.” Karah sat on the bed, her feet barely touching the floor. “My mother made me come. She said she would come soon, that I would see her here. But that was four months ago, and I have not heard a word. Not even a letter or a note. I question Docie all the time because I am sure she knows more than she tells me. She is my mother’s servant, not mine.”
“Well, we shall have to fix that. You are the lady of the house, at least for now. You will have to have your own maid. We can ask Maundy Weaver. She says there are many hardworking French and Irish girls in Mobile looking for work. And I’ve heard that if you want a secret kept, you can trust an Irish girl. They are extremely loyal.”
“I do not have any secrets. Or beaus or anything requiring a maid. I am just the bastard child of Isla Beaumont and Jeremiah Cottonwood. There—I said it! I am a bastard.”
Absently I squeezed her hand. “I am too. Let’s not use that name anymore. We are more than a name.”
She smiled weakly. “Agreed.”
I had to ask her more questions. “Tell me, Karah. You say they are all here in this house. Who are you talking about? Who have you seen?” I no longer doubted that she saw ghosts at Seven Sisters.
“Well, I have seen my father in the room across from the Blue Room, I think it was his study. I have seen a young black woman in the downstairs larder. She pulls my hair and scares me to death. Then I have seen other people, people I do not know. I have looked through all the pictures and cannot identify them. Will you help me? Will you keep me safe?”
“I think we need to call the priest. I hear there is a new priest in Mobile now, a Father Portier. No doubt he would come and pray for us.”
“I don’t think bastard children are allowed to take communion, cousin.”
“We won’t ask for it. Surely he would not be opposed to offering a few prayers on our behalf. We are after all very wealthy women.”
“Perhaps you are right. But just in case, may I sleep with you tonight? Nothing evil has happened here, has it?”
I was quiet for a moment. I felt nothing but peace and happiness in this room. If something evil had occurred here, my mother’s love for her children had washed it all away.
“You can sleep in my bed if you promise not to snore.”
“Oh, thank you, cousin.”
I hugged her, happy that she felt safe with me.
“I do still intend to work with Maundy, though. I hope you understand that I cannot be here every day all the time. I have to keep my commitments, and I will need to explain to my brother—I mean to Adam.”
“I see. I would like to meet your brother sometime, cousin.”
I blushed at that idea. I was sure that Adam would be charming—too charming for his own good or for Karah’s. I determined quietly to never let that happen. I would tell him nothing. Did he deserve anything more from me? “We shall see, cousin.”
She smiled, and we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the house and waiting for Stokes to return with my things. I also jotted off a note to Jackson asking him to wait on finding my house. I now had a place to stay, at least for a little while. The day ended pleasantly, albeit strangely. This wasn’t where I had intended to lay my head at night when I woke this morning, but it felt right.
My favorite part of each day would be when she and I lay in bed together and whispered late into the night. We saw no ghosts, not that first night. It felt as if we were sisters, two cast-off sisters who had finally found one another. I was grateful for that. I was grateful for her. She had no reason to show me such favor, but she did. For the first time in a long time, I fell asleep feeling like I was at home—at last.
Chapter 10—Henri
The Stuarts were on their way—I was looking forward to seeing my friends. I intended to tell them about Detra Ann, if they hadn’t already heard that she was leaving, and hopefully enlist thei
r help in getting her to stay. Yes, I had selfish reasons for wanting to keep her in Mobile, but I was also worried about her. She was drinking every day—something she had always hated as long as I’d known her.
Now Lenore referred to her as “the ghost,” and that really disturbed me. Detra Ann had cheated death in a very real way…what if Lenore was right? What if the supernatural world wasn’t finished with her yet? Moving to another city wouldn’t prevent any such encounter. Now how to convey that to her?
I didn’t cook this evening, but I had made a few appetizers and mixed a pitcher of hurricanes. Not the syrupy red drink that looked like Kool-Aid, but the authentic New Orleans drink. Lenore, in a rare happy mood, offered to help and even wore a dress for the occasion. I said nothing about her out-of-style baggy denim dress or her mismatched socks. No need to look a gift horse in the mouth, right?
“I think I hear a car.”
“Okay, I’ll go check.” I opened the door and saw Carrie Jo’s car in my driveway. The couple stepped out, and CJ waved to me. I waved back and stood on the porch drying my hands on a dish towel.
“Hey, Henri!” Carrie Jo bounded up the steps and hugged me tight. “I am so happy to see you.”
“Likewise.” I smiled and kissed her cheek and hugged Ashland.
“How’s it going, Henri? Things good at the shop?”
“More than good. Come in. I want you to meet my cousin, Lenore.”
Lenore flashed a friendly smile, and after everyone exchanged pleasantries I invited them to sit in the living room. “Who wants a drink? I made a batch of hurricanes.”
The Ultimate Seven Sisters Collection Page 55
