The Secret Heiress

by Terri Reed

  Contrition drew lines around Mary’s mouth. “They’re both gone. I didn’t see what good it would do to reveal that Dennis and Isabella had had a child. But now—I can’t let you or anyone believe Dennis was a murderer.”

  Though Caroline understood, it didn’t change the fact that Mary had withheld vital information. Information that could lead to catching Isabella’s killer. And possibly give them a clue as to who was after Caroline. Just because Dennis/Johnny had loved her didn’t mean he couldn’t have killed her. Anger put a hard edge to her words. “Don’t you think I deserved to know who my father was?”

  Mary winced. “Yes, of course. It’s just…”

  “They’d been secret lovers?”

  The older woman drew herself up. “I raised my son to believe in the sanctity of marriage and all that goes with it.”

  Shock siphoned the air from her head. “Are you saying they were married?”

  Mary nodded. “They eloped. No one knew, except for me—and they didn’t even tell me until afterward.”

  Grappling with this information, Caroline placed a hand on the older woman’s arm. “Tell me about them?”

  Mary wiped at her eyes. “Dennis was two years older than Isabella but they were best friends and grew up here together. Dennis, Isabella, Samuel and a few other local kids filled this house with laughter. Back then, everyone loved to come to the Maddox estate. Mrs. Maddox enjoyed having the children underfoot. And I think Mr. Maddox did as well even though he’d bluster that he didn’t.”

  Caroline tried to imagine what it must have been like in this house back then. Light and laughter. Full of love.

  The image didn’t equate with the gloomy, oppressed place the estate had become.

  Mary stared off toward the kitchen window, her expression softening as she recalled the past. “Dennis was a very jovial boy. Always seeking adventure. He joined the army when he turned eighteen.”

  Like Don. The thought darted across Caroline’s mind.

  “Two years later he came home with an injury. He’d jumped out of a helicopter and shattered his left leg. The doctors put him back together with pins. He limped after that and was honorably discharged. He was home in time to see Isabella graduate from high school. They had a summer romance.”

  Mary brought her gaze to Caroline. “You and your young man remind me of them. The way you two watch each other when the other isn’t paying attention. The protective way Don is with you. The pink in your cheeks whenever he’s near. I can tell how much in love you are. Just like Dennis and Isabella were.” Her voice faded away, nodding sagely.

  Caroline’s throat constricted. Blood rushed to her head. In love? Her and Don? No. Ridiculous.

  Fake fiancé, remember?

  Mary saw what she and Don wanted people to see.

  Did she really blush when he was near? That couldn’t be faked.

  “Unlike you two, though,” Mary continued, drawing Caroline back to the conversation. Thankfully Mary wasn’t aware how distressing her words were to Caroline. “Dennis and Isabella had to keep their feelings quiet, because they both knew Mr. Maddox wouldn’t approve. He and the missus had grand plans for their daughter.

  “Isabella had a mind of her own.” Mary shook her head. “She applied to Tulane behind her daddy’s back. Once she was accepted, Mr. Maddox couldn’t persuade her not to go. Dennis stayed behind that fall, wanting to give her time to find herself, see who and what she wanted in life.” A sad smile touched her lips. “At Christmas she came home claiming she wanted him and only him. Dennis was ecstatic. They took off one day and went to the next county over. They came back that evening married.”

  Caroline inhaled sharply. And her heart broke for the young couple. “Mr. Maddox found out, didn’t he?”

  “About the relationship. Not the marriage.” Mary sighed, but Caroline didn’t detect any anger. “He was livid. He wanted his daughter to marry within her own station in life, not settle for the help’s son.”

  Searching the older woman’s face for any sign of bitterness, Caroline said, “That must have made you and Horace very angry.”

  Mary looked in her in the eye. “Not angry so much as hurt. Or at least I was hurt. Horace agreed with Mr. Maddox. Dennis admitted to Horace that they’d gotten married, and he demanded Dennis get an annulment before Mr. Maddox discovered the truth.”

  It was all so unfair. “Why?”

  “Our families are like oil and water. Coexisting, but separated. It’s just the way it is.”

  Caroline understood what Mary was saying. As much as she didn’t like isolating classes, she knew it was a reality all the same. Her best friend, Kristina, had almost lost the love of her life because of the division between her upscale upbringing and Gabe’s blue-collar world.

  Mary sighed. “Mr. Maddox and Isabella had a horrible argument. She returned to school and never came back. Dennis moved to New Orleans, took a job at a grocery store.”

  Caroline’s chest ached with sadness and sympathy. “Where is Dennis now?”

  Pain marched across Mary’s face. “He died that winter. A hunting accident. He never knew he’d fathered a child. None of us knew until Mr. Elijah opened the box that led him to find you.”

  The news sliced deep. Her biological father was dead.

  So much tragedy in this family. For a moment, Caroline was overwhelmed by the unfairness of it all, of her parents being taken from her before she had a chance to know them at all.

  If Dennis had lived, he and Isabella would have raised their child together. But then Caroline would never have known the love of her adoptive parents. A love that was given freely, because they’d wanted her so badly.

  Something softened in her heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Is Dennis buried in the same cemetery as Isabella?”

  Mary nodded. “Isabella insisted that he be buried in the Maddox family plot. Mr. and Mrs. Maddox allowed it.”

  One mystery solved. Her father was Dennis Jonathan “Johnny” Finch. The love of Isabella Maddox’s life.

  But then who was the man Isabella had been afraid of? Was this man the one who had killed her? And was that man now after Caroline?

  NINE

  “Caroline, the doctor’s here,” Don said from the kitchen doorway.

  Jolted out of her thoughts, Caroline nodded. Torn by her need to see to her grandfather’s care and wanting to stay with…her grandmother, she hesitated.

  Mary squeezed her hand. “Go on, child. See to Mr. Elijah. He needs you.”

  “I’ll come back later,” Caroline promised, her heart aching with sorrow.

  As she and Don made their way toward the entryway, Don halted her with a hand on her arm. “You look upset. What happened?”

  Appreciating his concern and needing…to be held, to feel a connection with him, she hugged him tight. He stiffened for a moment then held her close, one hand pressing against her back, the other cradling her head. She held in the sob that threatened to escape. Instead, she focused on the warmth of Don’s embrace, the spicy scent of his aftershave, the way his heart beat against her cheek. So comforting, so secure. So…

  In love.

  She squeezed her eyes tight, denying Mary’s words parading around her head.

  “What is it, sweetheart?”

  Taking a shuddering breath, she lifted her gaze. “Mary and Horace are my paternal grandparents. Her son, Dennis Jonathan, was ‘Johnny,’ my father.”

  Surprise widened his blue eyes. “Where is he?”

  She dropped her head back to his chest. “He died, months before I was born. He never knew about me.”

  He stroked her hair. “I’m so sorry.”

  The gentle tone of his voice, the soothing caresses of his hands made her
melt. Clinging to him, she wished they could stay this way forever; just the two of them, letting the world fade away.

  The sound of a clearing throat broke the sweet illusion of isolation and comfort.

  Horace stood a few feet away. “The doctor is waiting.”

  Her other grandfather. Fresh tears spilled down her cheek.

  “We’re coming,” Don said and slowly released Caroline.

  She wiped at her eyes, trying to gather her composure. “Sorry.”

  Crooking a finger beneath her chin, he lifted her face. “No need to apologize. I’m here for you.”

  For now. But soon he wouldn’t be. Soon his job of protecting her would be over. And she’d best remember that fact. They weren’t in love. Not even close. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped away from him and headed down the hall.

  The doctor had graying hair and kind brown eyes. He wore a plaid sports jacket and khaki pants. His left hand gripped the handle of a black bag. With his free hand, he shook hands with Caroline, then Don.

  “Thank you, Dr. Smith, for coming on such short notice,” Don said.

  “Not at all. It was a pleasant drive out here.”

  Don and Caroline led the doctor to Elijah’s room.

  “Elijah, this is Dr. Smith from Natchez,” Caroline said as she took his hand. “Will you let him examine you?”

  Elijah nodded. His sunken eyes made her stomach drop. He appeared frailer than he had when she’d visited earlier in the day.

  “Hello, Mr. Maddox, I’m Dr. Frank Smith. You can call me Frank.” The doctor set his bag on the foot of the bed and removed his stethoscope. “Let’s listen to your heart.”

  Leaving the doctor to do his work, she and Don stepped out into the hall. She leaned against the wall.

  Don braced one arm on the wall next to her head. He trailed a knuckle down her cheek. “You’ve had a lot to take in since we’ve arrived.”

  “I’m a little shell-shocked,” she admitted. “Sad, too.”

  “You’re very brave and handling all of this very well.”

  She liked his praise. Liked the funny little tingles shooting off inside her, making her want to wrap her arms around him again. “Thank you.”

  “I call it like I see it,” Don said.

  Unable to resist, she placed a hand over his heart. “I appreciate that about you.”

  He captured her hand and brought her palm to his lips. His gaze bore into her. The light kiss he placed in the soft center of her hand made her mouth go dry. They were acting like they really were a couple in love.

  But no one was watching. There was no need for the act.

  Panicked because she was afraid of wanting this to be real, she quickly slipped away from him. “I’d like to visit my birth parents’ graves.”

  He straightened, his expression shifting to neutral, making her think she’d imagined the yearning she’d seen in his Caribbean-blue eyes moments ago. “We can do that this afternoon.”

  They lapsed into silence. Though only a few feet separated them, she felt a chasm had opened up. She didn’t like it at all.

  Twenty minutes later, the doctor stepped out into the hall.

  His grave expression sent shivers of alarm down Caroline’s spine. “I concur with the Addison’s diagnosis and the treatment plan that Dr. Reese has prescribed,” Dr. Smith said. “But without further testing, I can’t say why his disease is progressing so rapidly. I’ve taken blood samples and will run some additional diagnostics, but he should be admitted to a hospital today for observation until we can get a handle on the disease. I’ll confer with Dr. Reese and let the hospital know to expect Mr. Maddox.”

  “I don’t know if he’ll agree to go, though,” Caroline interjected.

  “Then convince him.” Dr. Smith turned his attention back to Don. “The hospital will arrange transportation. Please make sure to send along his medications with the paramedics.”

  “We will. Thank you, Doctor. We appreciate you coming out here.” Don shook his hand.

  “I can see myself out,” Dr. Smith said when they moved to walk him down the stairs. “Go convince your grandfather that if he wants to live, he needs to go to the hospital.”

  Caroline’s heart squeezed tight. Even though she’d only known Elijah for four days, she cared for him and didn’t want him to die.

  She squared her shoulders. “I will, Doctor.”

  “I don’t like hospitals,” Elijah groused for the umpteenth time.

  “Elijah, the doctor says you need to go, so you’re going,” Caroline said with a firm tone.

  Don was proud of her for sticking to her guns. She and Elijah had been going round and round for the past half hour while he and Horace communicated with the hospital and Samuel.

  “Don’t get cheeky with me, girl,” Elijah said.

  Caroline grinned. “If getting cheeky gets me what I want, then I’ll get cheeky.”

  “Humph. You’re more like your mother than I thought. She’d get cheeky, too.”

  “And I’ll bet she got her way, too,” Don interjected.

  Pride tempered by sadness filled the old man’s eyes. “Yes. She did.”

  “Elijah, why didn’t you tell me you knew who my father was?” Caroline’s voice dripped with emotion.

  His eyes widened. “You know?”

  She nodded. “Mary told me.”

  Elijah seemed to deflate. “I’m so ashamed that I objected to the relationship. Dennis was a fine boy.”

  Don slipped an arm around Caroline. For a split second she held herself still, then relaxed against his side. “Then why did you disapprove?”

  Tears spilled down his cheeks. “It was foolish of me. My biggest regret. If I hadn’t…” The unspoken words hung in the air.

  Don couldn’t imagine living with the pain and regret echoing in Elijah’s tone. It made him think of his own father. Did he feel remorse for leaving his wife and child? Did he have any idea of the damage he’d caused? The pain he’d inflicted?

  Was he even alive?

  Don forced him from his mind as he bolstered his own vow never to be like his father. To never hurt the one who loved him. And the only way to do that was to never allow anyone to love him.

  Everything inside him tensed with anxiety. With Caroline melding into his side like two halves of a whole perfectly fitted together it was hard to want to disconnect. But he had to be careful with her. For her sake, he had to keep their relationship strictly professional. He’d done a poor job of it so far. He eased away from her, determined to keep an arm’s length between them.

  Steering the conversation in a new direction, he said, “We haven’t found the secret passages you talked about. Can you tell us where they are?”

  Elijah shook his head. “I’ve never seen them. But I know they exist. My father used them.”

  For the next two hours, Elijah regaled them with tales of his childhood. His conviction that there were tunnels through the house never wavered. When the paramedics arrived they made short work of moving Elijah into the back of the vehicle. The family stood on the porch as the ambulance carrying Elijah rumbled down the drive.

  Samuel followed the ambulance in his Bentley. He’d come home from work to accompany his father. When Don had called him to inform him they were sending Elijah to the hospital, Samuel had sounded relieved. Which made Don wonder why Samuel hadn’t made these arrangements sooner. Sheriff Gantz assured Don he’d post a guard outside Elijah’s room.

  “He’ll be miserable there,” Abigail sniffed. She’d made her disapproval known the instant she’d be told about the move. With a parting glare, she stormed inside and a moment later a door slammed shut.

  The twins turned accusing eyes toward Caroline.

  “What
if he dies in that hospital?” Lilly said, tears welling in her hazel eyes. “He should be here with us.”

  “He’s not going to die,” Caroline said, her voice full of empathy. “He’ll be back soon, better than ever.”

  Don hoped she was right, for all their sakes.

  “Come on, Lilly, no use standing here moping,” Landon said, clearly trying to be the strong one. “Grandfather wouldn’t approve.”

  Caroline shook her head as the kids left. “I know we did the right thing, but I feel bad for them. They really love him.”

  “They’ll be fine once Elijah is well.” He caught himself starting to slip his arm around her. He stepped away and jammed his hands into his pants pockets. “You said you wanted to visit Dennis’s and Isabella’s graves.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Her pleased, grateful look sent the urge to reach for her again spiraling through him. He fisted his hands and forced himself to stand down.

  Mary had given them directions to the cemetery. They headed through the woods south of the house beneath a sky gray and hazy. The temperature dropped a few degrees, making coats necessary. Borrowed rain boots made little noise on the wet carpet of fallen leaves, soggy grasses and muddy earth.

  Caroline and Don cleared the woods and came out on the edge of the cemetery. Caroline could see that the lawns, though strewn with fresh debris from the storm, were obviously cared for. Aged-stone grave markers, ranging from simple to ornate, dotted the landscape, each free from moss or decay beyond the normal ravages of time.

  “Who keeps this so nicely maintained?” she asked.

  “There must be a hired caretaker.”

  He was right of course. It seemed odd that the Maddox family estate would languish in disrepair while the family plots were tended to so meticulously.

  On the far side of the cemetery was an entrance and road leading off into the distance. A lonely feeling infused Caroline. She tried to shake it as they walked along the headstones reading the names.

  Caroline lurched to a stop when she came across a Maddox name. She read aloud. “Gideon Maddox. 1882–1951. This must be Elijah’s father.”