"But your grandmother started that school. Why wouldn't he keep it going? Didn't she leave funding for its future needs?"
Marion set the photo back on the side table.
"She did, but my father refused to allow any more of it to go to the school. He stopped the funding and within a year, the school was starting to slide. It made him angry. He said that they should have been able to do some fundraising on their own. The school had been supported for years by the Westshire money and he felt the board should have tried to be more proactive and self-sufficient. It came as quite a shock when the plug was pulled."
I didn't know what to say. Marion's grandmother had built a school, not a small thing. She'd started something that would be a permanent fixture on the landscape. How could Marion's father have been so quick to dismiss what his mother had built? Why would he let it slide into ruin?
"Didn't it bother you that your father let everything slide?" I had to ask, even if she took offense. If we were going to sort things out, we both had to take some bitter medicine.
Marion indicated for me to follow her to the kitchen.
"Tea?"
I nodded and she filled the kettle. I sat at the table, thinking of all the mornings Rein had done just that, before school.
"My father noticed the school was filling with kids from broken homes, single parents, families that were struggling. He didn't like it. He said he didn't want the Butler name attached to something seedy."
She set two cups down, and then went to get the teapot.
"Are you serious? You speak about those people as if they're diseased. I'm from a poor family, is that how you see me? We didn't have money or a name or history. Do you think it's my fault that I was born into that family?" Had it been a mistake for me to come here?
"No, Rachel. I..."
But what could she say? She'd always looked down on me and made no secret of it.
"You wanted Rein to be with someone who was his social equal, remember?" Great, it was late and we were about to start in on one another.
"Stop it. I'm not going to have this disintegrate into a fight. Yes, I've made mistakes, but so have you. Neither of us is perfect, Rachel. Can we start from this point?"
The kettle finally boiled and Marion filled the pot. After a few minutes, she brought it over to the table. I didn't say anything until she'd poured. She didn't speak, but nodded at the creamer and sugar bowl.
"Have you given money to Abby's Road, the school I'll be attending in January?" I kept my voice level, but in truth, it was hard not to resent Marion for what she'd said.
"No, I haven't. My father was insistent that I attend Lonsdale and graduate from the better school. He downplayed our association with Abby's Road High, insisting I never speak of it to anyone at school or to any of my friends. You have to understand, Rachel, the Butlers had money and a name to keep. The Butlers weren't as charitable as my grandmother. The Butlers were on a higher social level and didn't want anything to sully their name."
The Butlers, the Butlers, the Butlers...
"But the school needed help. Your grandmother, Abby, built it so the people here could send their kids to a good school and it would bring the whole community forward."
"Yes, but we aren't responsible for funding a school into perpetuity. The school has a terrible reputation now, and I don't want the Butler name associated with it." Marion heaped sugar into her cup. "My grandmother upset everyone with her insistence on taking a different road. Her parents may have tolerated it, but not the Butlers."
Why did I sense there was more to this story?
"Abby sounds like someone I'd want to know. I'd like to hear more about her."
"She'd drained a good portion of her inheritance into that school." Marion shifted in the chair, something was making her uncomfortable.
"What is it you aren't saying? If it's some dark family secret you don't have to worry, it isn't like I'd run out and tell the world. You couldn't top my family history."
She jerked her head to one side making a face.
"I suppose that's true, besides, what would be the harm now? It was long ago."
The family secret! Marion was about to air their dirty laundry.
"Abby was pregnant when she married Hammond."
I shrugged my shoulders. "What's the big deal about that? They had some fun before making it legal."
Marion shook her head. "No, that's not it. She was pregnant with another man's child. Hammond never knew the truth. My father wasn't from Butler stock."
A lie? The whole Butler, snooty-better-than-everyone act was a lie? I wanted to laugh, but it would have been cruel.
"How did you find out?"
"She left a letter and I was the one who found it. It was tucked away in a dress that had been left undisturbed."
"A wedding dress?" From her startled reaction, I'd hit the mark.
"How did you guess?" Marion asked, dumbfounded.
"Abby would have needed a place where her letter would survive until it could be read by the next generation. Since your families were steeped in tradition, it would make sense to hide it in there. Wedding dresses are usually stored with care, and that would also bode well for her letter. It increased the chance that one of her children or a grandchild would find the letter."
Clapping. "Bravo, Rachel, you really are clever. I'm going to ask that you never repeat this story. You do know I'd have to deny it." But Marin wasn't threatening; she was simply letting me know.
"Do you know who it was?" I couldn't help but ask.
Moments elapsed while she weighed it out.
"Delmar Cornie." Marion spoke low and I had to strain to hear.
"Cornie? They're still here—in Lonsdale. Weren't they one of the poorest families in the area?" And that was saying something considering my family hadn't been well-off.
"Yes. They lived in a shack on the outskirts of town. I believe they've managed to do a little better over the years."
Not much better. None of the Cornie kids ever got further than menial labor. I remembered my mother speaking about them, calling them down for where they lived. She'd looked down on the family.
"He didn't want anything to do with the baby? He must have been hurt when she married Hammond Butler."
"He didn't know. She didn't tell him. I don't believe Hammond ever suspected the baby wasn't his. If he did, he took it to his grave."
Was that a skeleton rattling in the closet? Abby had fallen for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, a boy her parents would never have allowed her to marry. Was the school a way to try to heal that divide?
"I'll be going there because of you." I set my cup down, wondering how much longer we'd be able to sit in the same room together. She'd ripped my life apart, judged me, looked down on me and yet who was she? Marion Butler was from Cornie stock. The fury I had was about to land on the table between us.
"I wanted to talk about that. I know you refused at the hotel, but please be reasonable. I'll speak with the Principal and have you reinstated. You can start in January and nothing will have changed. You'll be able to graduate early and I can help you to find a good college."
We were like two people speaking entirely different languages, trying to give directions to one another. Neither of us was going anywhere.
"Marion, I don't want to go back there. To be truthful, I never wanted to go there to begin with. The only reason I ended up at Lonsdale was because we lived on the boundary for inclusion and Lizzie insisted she wanted to. Because Lizzie wanted to, I had to. The Principal didn't want us and he tried to discourage my mother several times. I've never been accepted there and I'm tired of hearing the nasty remarks because I'm poor, because I don't have a family, because I'm not one of them."
I heard Marion's intake of breath.
"I never thought of it like that." She got quiet and I got nervous. She stared out blankly, her thoughts taking her from me. She hadn't thought of it from my side. She'd only seen it from her perspective, thinking how
lucky I'd been to go there.
"Why do you carry such bitterness about people? Is it all because of knowing the truth about your real roots?" Yuri had filled me in on Marion's lost love, but I wanted to hear it from her. Would she share the painful memory with me?
"I was in love with a man. It was a long time ago. He was Rein's father." She choked when she said Rein's name. She believed he was dead even if I knew different, and I had to remember that.
"Take your time. I want to know."
"As a graduation gift, my father sent me to Europe for the entire summer and I met a man. His name was Lennox and I fell hard. He was from Europe and from a very old noble family and he swept me off my feet. We were young, and in love and I became pregnant. Lennox wanted to marry; he gave me this ring as his promise." She held up her hand and the diamonds in the band caught the light. "Lennox said it had been passed down in his family. He asked that I give it to our son when he came of age. It's funny because I didn't know I was carrying a boy, but he seemed certain of it." She sighed, tilting her hand in the light, the diamonds sparkling. "Being unmarried and pregnant was taboo in my day, but I thought it would all turn out fine because Lennox had asked me to marry him, but then everything changed. He said he had to leave to attend to a family matter and promised me he'd be back. He disappeared and I never heard from him again. I waited in Europe as long as I could, but soon it became obvious he wasn't returning. When I got home and my father found out about the pregnancy, he was furious and berated me for believing some foreigner's lines about love and putting myself in such a position. For me to have a child out of wedlock would put a stain on the Butler family name. My father sent me away for nearly two years. I had to live in an isolated small town with relatives he paid to put me up. I didn't return until he'd spread a story about my getting married in Europe and my husband dying of a tragic accident soon after the birth of our son. It was awful. I had to lie to people for years."
The linen tablecloth was splattered in Marion's tears. I took a napkin from the silver container, holding it out for her.
"Thank you. I've never told anyone about it, not even Rein. It's too late for him, he's gone. I've lost everyone, Rachel, my parents, my son and the only man I ever loved."
"I know how you feel."
Marion's head jerked up fast and she winced.
"Of course you do. You're the last person I should be crying to." She cleared her throat, trying to control the crying.
"Let it out. There's no point trying to hold it in, I learned that a long time ago." Perhaps Yuri had been right when he'd said I had more in common with Marion than I'd ever guess. "It seems we aren't so different, not as much as I thought."
A half-smile emerged. Marion refilled my cup. "I know you hurt over Rein. God knows I do so I can't imagine what it was like for you to lose him and not see him."
How would I dance around this? I had to behave as though I was grieving Rein, and in a sense, I was. He'd betrayed me.
"I miss him. He was a big part of my life and when he left, it was empty."
"Is that why you turned to Nix for comfort? I understand." She held her hands up in a surrendering gesture. "He's a count?"
"Apparently, he is. I didn't know until recently." There, I'd answered and it wasn't a lie.
"How long have you known him?" Marion went to the fridge. She brought out a plate of apple strudels.
"I met him around the time of the house fire. We met by accident."
"He's very handsome. There is something old-world about him; I can't quite put my finger on it." Marion put two of the pastries on a plate, handing it to me. "Eat. We both need the sugar."
I was beginning to see another side of this woman and I liked it. She had a sweet tooth and I could respect that.
"I loved Rein, but—"
"Did he do something to hurt you, Rachel? To be honest, I was shocked to see you with someone else so soon, but I'm not judging."
"He wasn't honest with me about something and it really hurt. I've moved past it. He's gone and I have to get on with my life. Nix has his charms and I accepted his invitation to spend Christmas and my birthday to avoid being alone."
Marion studied me. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and the change it brought to her face left me gasping. She looked different, unguarded and vulnerable.
"I should have invited you for holidays over the years and I regret it. I do have something for your birthday, although it really isn't my present to give."
She slipped the ring off her finger, holding it out to me.
"Here, this belongs to you and I had no right to demand it back. I am sorry, Rachel, my actions have caused you pain. I gave the ring to Rein when he turned seventeen. It was his to do with as he wished and he gave it to you."
Immediately, I felt energy from handling the ring. Waves of tingling went along my hand and up my arm. Whatever this ring was, I was convinced it had been meant for me. I slipped it on, and it felt as though some layer came between me and the world.
"In the dream, Rein said to wear it for protection. I know you'll want your independence and freedom. You can't stay at my side indefinitely, so I think it's better if you have it. Promise me you won't take it off. I don't know why, but I believe you might be in danger. I get odd feelings about things and I have one about you." The concern was real.
"I'll wear it. It's such a beautiful ring. Lennox must have loved you deeply to have given you a precious family heirloom." I wished I could tell her that Lennox hadn't simply left, but been removed by his own brother. I wanted to spill everything, to let Marion know she'd fallen for a vampire, and that loving one didn't have an easy road. Would she write me off as crazy? I couldn't chance it.
"I'll show you to the guest bedroom. It's right beside Rein's old room." Sadness filled her voice and my heart hurt. Wasn't there an unwritten rule about being able to divulge information when keeping it hidden caused a person pain? Marion was grieving her son, or so she thought. Would Rein ever reveal himself to her? That was the question. Nix and Yuri had revealed themselves to me, so why would Marion be any different? If anything, she had more invested in keeping it a secret—it was her son. How this messed-up story would unfold was anyone's guess. I had to keep safe and keep going.
The room was spacious, almost as big as my suite. There was a double bed and a window that I guessed had a view of the back. The bedding matched the curtains and there was a small on-suite bathroom with a sliding door. Good, I liked my privacy.
"You could move in here, if you wanted," Marion said, her gaze hopeful. "Or visit."
"I'll try to keep quiet and not wake you. Strange noises can be bothersome." I knew that one.
Marion flipped her hand out and back. "No worries there, I take a sleeping pill each night. It helps me to get some rest. I couldn't sleep after Rein died."
"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a child. Sleep well and I'll see you in the morning."
She paused beside the door, shaking her head. "No, I don't think you will. I don't know why I'm saying that, but I feel like something is going to happen and I can't stop it. Please take care."
I watched her walk down to her room, listening for the door to close. That had to be the weirdest thing she'd said. Did she have some kind of premonition that I was going to run off? Perhaps she didn't believe I'd stay the night because of our history and how bad things had gone between us. She might even think that since I had the ring, I didn't need to bother. She was wrong. Going back to my suite was the last thing I wanted to do. It would be cold and dismal and full of the ghosts of my Christmases past, all reaching out with their sharp reminders. I wished Nix and I could have had Christmas together at the hotel. My birthday was on the horizon and I felt my life was more out of control than ever. Not a great way to end a year or to start a new one.
I'd retreated back inside the guest room and had shut the door when it hit me—Christmas. It was Christmas and I hadn't seen one decoration up in the living room. Marion w
asn't celebrating. She'd wanted me to come back here to celebrate Christmas and my birthday, but without a tree?
I slumped down onto the bed, shutting my eyes against the irony. This Christmas, I'd wanted to enjoy, celebrate and have something special and Nix had been delivering all that. Now I was here and there was nothing but grief and loss. Marion was grieving and I had to accept that she wouldn't want to celebrate anything. This was the first Christmas without Rein and if it hadn't been for Yuri's warning, I'd never have come back here. I had the ring, so I could leave and be protected, but would they come after Marion? I wished I knew if Rein was through his transformation process. Then again, Caspian wouldn't harm Marion and he'd make certain no one else would. He had to keep Rein happy and hurting his mother wouldn't accomplish that.
What a chess game it all was! My head spun as I took each path to its logical conclusion. I would have to treat this situation like a chess game and map out my moves. The definite in the equation was me—they all wanted that component in my blood and as long as I had the ring on, no one could touch me.
But Marion's words had stayed with me, like a distant drumming, not overly loud, but consistent, persistent. Although she had no clue as to the truth, Marion had sensed that there was something deeper going on and she was listening to her gut.
I went into the bathroom to splash some water on my face. There was enough light from the bedroom, so I didn't bother to flick on the light over the vanity. The water was cool and helped me to get some focus back. As I raised my head up, a quick flash went over the mirror. I dabbed my face dry, noting how soft and thick the towel was. A shiver fanned out over my body, I wasn't alone, but I wasn't afraid, I had the ring.
"Come and get me," I whispered, challenging whoever it was lurking about.
Then a pang of worry hit and I decided I'd better check on Marion. I walked softly down the hall to her room, carefully opening the door a crack to see inside. The glow from a child's nightlight filled the area and I could make out Marion's face. She was asleep. I was about to leave when I caught sight of her hand hanging over the edge of the bed. On the floor below was a rumpled mass of tissues. She'd been crying. I closed the door, making my way down the hall.
Abby's Road Part 1 Page 7
