by Marilyn Turk
“Of course, until I left the table. But he followed me out, said he needed to talk to me about Destiny. He was very interested in what I was going to do with the cottage, and when I said I was planning to sell it, he intimated we might get married and keep it! Can you imagine?”
Russell roared with laughter. “His mother’s always liked Destiny. I think she was jealous of your family for having it. You know, they don’t have a cottage of their own. They’ve always stayed in the clubhouse. So I guess she thought she could marry you and Floyd off and get the cottage in return.”
“Well, she thought wrong. I wouldn’t marry Floyd Appleton if he was the last man on earth!”
“Ha. Poor Floyd. Maybe his mother will find some other woman for him.”
“Seriously, Russell. I thought they might be behind the telegram, but it just doesn’t seem like their style. Of course, they were very interested in the cottage…”
“Lexie, about today. Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you. Business, you know.”
“Of course. I got there fine. Mr. Sullivan, the concierge, took me.”
“Yes, I know, but I was surprised he didn’t stay and wait for you.”
“He offered, but I told him not to.”
“Bet you wish he had.”
She sighed, then sat upright. “So someone knew I was going to the cottage or followed me. Wonder why?”
He shook his head. “Well, I guess they want to know what you’re doing or going to do.”
“Do you think it’s the same person who got into the house and tore up the desk?”
A knock on the door and Russell answered. “Come in.”
A young man entered carrying a silver tray with two silver pitchers, a sugar bowl, creamer, and china cups for each of them. A plate of lemon slices and a bowl of honey rested on a small plate alongside another plate of scones. The waiter placed the tray on the coffee table in front of them and handed them each a linen napkin. He poured hot tea from the small pitcher into one cup and handed it to Lexie.
Lexie took two lemon slices from the saucer the waiter held out to her. The young man’s broad smile overtook his face as he beamed at Lexie. He offered her the honey and she helped herself, feeling the waiter’s stare. Her face grew warm, and she avoided his eyes, wishing he’d look elsewhere or leave.
Lexie smiled at Russell over the plate of pastries on the tray. “Scones too?”
“A little bird told me you liked them.” He gave her a wink and took the cup of coffee from the waiter. Turning his attention to the waiter, he said, “Walter, I hear you’ll soon be leaving us for the army.”
“Yes, sir. I’m reporting for duty in two weeks.” The waiter snapped to attention and saluted.
Lexie did a double-take. Could this young man be old enough for the military? He looked so boyish.
“We’ll miss you here, but wish you the best. We’ll keep you in our prayers.”
Did he say “prayers”? Lexie didn’t realize Russell was so spiritual.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. But we’ll be back soon as we beat those Krauts!”
Russell stood and shook the waiter’s hand. “You do that, Walter.”
The young man gave Lexie another admiring glance before turning back to Russell. “Will that be all, sir?”
“Yes, that’ll be all for now, Walter. Thank you.”
The waiter bowed and left the room. Lexie stared after him for a few moments.
“He seems so young to be in the army.”
“I’m sure he joined as soon as he was seventeen.”
Lexie shook her head, then took a bite of a scone. “These are as delicious as ever.”
“Good to hear that. We’ve tried to keep our specialties consistent, even with the changes in kitchen staff.” Russell grabbed a scone and bit off a piece.
“I noticed that most of the staff isn’t the same as it was when I was a little girl. But I do remember that waiter, Mr. Mason. He’s always been here, hasn’t he?”
“About twenty-five years. Thank God for the older employees, or we’d really be short-staffed.”
Lexie raised her eyebrows. “This seems to be a desirable place to work.”
“It is, or was. Before we got into the war. Now every able-bodied man like Walter is signing up for active duty. I heard they were lined up at the recruiting center in Atlanta.”
Lexie nodded. “They were everywhere, from what I’ve read in the papers. Have you considered joining too?”
A pained expression crossed his face. He pointed to his foot. “They won’t take me.”
Her heart squeezed, and she regretted asking the question. “Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?”
“Stupid hunting accident. I tripped and the gun went off, taking a piece of my foot with it.”
Lexie’s stomach turned. “Oh. I didn’t realize. Thank God, it wasn’t worse.”
“Yes, thank God indeed.”
Her face warmed and she grasped for a change in topic.
“Russell, you said Abner Jones was placed in a mental hospital after the first war. How did he get out?”
“Your grandfather. He vouched for him, said the war did strange things to people.”
“Really? No wonder he’s so indebted to Grandfather.”
Russell slapped his knee. “You know, I just realized why Abner went inside the cottage.”
“Why?”
“Thunder. Abner hates loud noises—they call it ‘shell-shock’. I bet he went inside to get away from the thunder.”
“Oh dear. Poor man.” Lexie studied her hands in her lap, suddenly feeling sorry for him. “I saw people like that in the hospital.”
Russell’s forehead creased with concern. “It’s a shame about your mother, Lexie. She was always a beautiful woman.”
“Yes, she was—used to be. But she was never the same after Father died.”
“I remember how hard she took it when your little brother died.”
Lexie’s heart wrenched. He was right. Mother never recovered from Kenneth’s drowning, then Father’s accident. Tears filled her eyes, and she wiped them with her napkin.
“Hey, why don’t we do something fun?”
Lexie glanced up, amazed at how fast the man could regain his cheerful attitude. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that ability?
“How’d you like to take on the club billiard champion?” Russell stuck his chest out like a proud peacock.
“You?” Lexie laughed, covering her mouth. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t know what you’re up against.”
“All right. You’re on!”
As she stood from the couch, Lexie smoothed her skirt. Maybe her pants were ready now. She’d stop by the laundry and get them first. She scanned the room, nodding at the animal heads.
“Did you kill all those?”
“Not all of them. Actually, Robert got the buck.”
Lexie gazed up at the massive deer head with its large rack of antlers. “Why did he leave it here, in your office?”
“Your mother wouldn’t allow it at the cottage, so he told me to keep it to remind me what a good shot he was.” Russell crossed his arms, smiling.
“Who shot the boar?” She pointed at the creature and grimaced.
“I did. Ugly, isn’t it?”
She nodded. There was a variety of other animals—pheasant, wild turkeys, even a large fish mounted on the wall. She stared at them while Russell got her coat. Some pictures of groups of men with their trophies accompanied the animals on the wall. One of them caught her attention, and she drew closer to study it.
“Russell, that’s you, Robert, and Father, isn’t it?”
Russell joined her to look at the picture. “Yes, that’s right.”
The men posed with their rifles beside them, a couple of deer lying on the ground in front.
She studied the picture. “Who are the other men?”
“That’s Edwin and Frank Gould.” He jabbed his finger at each of
the men standing to the left of her father.
“Who’s that man?” Lexie pointed to another man standing in the background.
“Oh, that’s Jack Barnes.”
“The boat captain?” She faced Russell frowning. “I wasn’t aware that he was a friend of yours and Robert’s.”
“His father was the game warden, so he assisted us on a lot of hunts. Now that hunting’s not popular, he drives the launch for us.”
“He sure has changed. I thought he was much older than you and Robert. He’s certainly aged since this photograph was taken.”
“Life has been pretty rough for him.” He held up her coat for her to put on. “Are you ready for some billiards?”
She took the coat and draped it over her arm. “I want to change clothes first. Meet you in the billiards room in thirty minutes. It’s in the annex, isn’t it?”
“Actually, between the main clubhouse and the annex. You’ll find it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
As she went down to her room, the picture in Russell’s office remained planted in her mind. For some reason, it made her feel uneasy. Was it the expressions on their faces? Her heart lurched. Was this picture taken the day her father was killed?
Chapter 14
Glancing over his shoulder to make sure Lexie wasn’t around, Russell crushed out his cigarette. He needn’t get her all worked up over his smoking. She had enough concerns already. Good thing she couldn’t read his mind. The way she looked at him with those big blues made him think she was trying. That was okay. He’d been keeping secrets for years for a lot of folks, so he’d stay mum. But she was curious. And smart.
He blew on his hands and rubbed them together before putting them in his coat pockets. Best be getting into the billiards room before she did. Just as he reached the door, Stella rushed past. He stepped into her path to intercept her.
“Stella! Can I have a word with you, please?”
She halted before jerking her head to face him. “What do you want?”
He ignored the lack of respect in her voice. She always acted as though she was better than he was, better than any of the staff. Back when she was younger and prettier, the men of the club used to flirt with her and she got snooty. She’d been a head-turner, sassy too, so she’d gotten big tips from the wealthy club members. But those years were gone, along with her youthful charms, replaced with bitterness and sarcasm. Poor Jack. She made his life miserable trying to please her. The good thing was she kept her mouth shut around the guests these days, so they thought she was just shy.
“Say, did you help clean Destiny Cottage this morning?”
She huffed a short breath of frosty air. “I tried, but that place was a wreck. Needs a going-over again.”
“So, who else worked with you? I asked for several housemaids to work on it before Miss Smithfield went back in today.”
A sneer contorted her face. “Louise and Jane and me, that’s all. We needed more help, but that was all they said could be spared. Of course, the three of us got behind on our own work to make sure Miss Smithfield was taken care of.”
“Stella.” He wanted to reprimand her for her attitude toward Lexie but changed his mind. That was one battle he wouldn’t win.
“So why do you want to know? Did Miss Smithfield have a complaint?” She crossed her arms.
“No, not really. However, the back door was open, and it rained inside some.”
“You told us to leave the house unlocked. The wind must’ve blown it open. That’s not my fault.”
“I didn’t say it was, Stella.” He shook his head. “Was anyone else there besides you three?”
She glared at him. “I told you it was just us.” Then, she nodded and pointed in the air like she just remembered something. “Yeah, that crazy old coot was hanging around there, like always, doing something in the yard.”
“I assume you’re referring to Abner.”
“Who else?” She twirled her finger beside her ear motioning craziness. “Anyway, why do you want to know?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Just curious.” Forcing a smile, he said, “That’s all. And thank you for your hard work getting the cottage clean.”
“Hmmph!” She spun and hurried back to the clubhouse, passing Lexie on the way. He noticed how she slowed her steps when she neared Lexie and took on her humble persona. He exhaled a deep sigh. If he didn’t care about her family and didn’t need her, she might have been dismissed already. But she was a hard worker and he had to keep her.
Lexie recognized the maid as they passed and gave her a smile. However, Stella, if she remembered her name correctly, averted her eyes and walked on. The woman acted like Lexie had a contagious disease.
Up ahead, Russell stood waiting with a big grin on his face. As she walked up, he opened the door and gestured with a sweep of his hand for her to enter.
“Are you sure you know how to play this game?” Russell gave her that quick wink that made her heart flutter. She wished he wouldn’t do that. It was so distracting.
“Russell, I bet I know this game as well as you do. After all, we did have a billiards table in our home in New York.”
“I’m sure you did. Did Robert ever play with you?”
“Of course. And I must warn you, I beat him too.”
Russell drew back. “No! Well, I see I have a challenge. How ’bout we make a wager on the game?”
“Wager?” Lexie’s face began to warm. She didn’t have money to throw away on a billiards game. “I don’t play for money.”
“Ha-ha!” He threw back his head, laughing. “No money required.”
“Then what?” Maybe she’d gotten herself into more than she wanted.
“Movie and popcorn. If you win, you treat me to a movie and popcorn.”
“That doesn’t sound right. And what if you win?”
“I’ll treat you to a movie and popcorn.” “You’re impossible!”
They took off their overcoats and hung them by the fireplace. Lexie placed her hat and gloves on a small table nearby. Russell removed his jacket as well, adjusted his suspenders and tucked his tie inside his shirt before choosing his stick. Lexie chose hers while Russell racked the balls.
He glanced up at her. “Would you like to break or do you want me to?”
“Oh, please help yourself. It might be the last time you hit the balls.” A familiar thrill of competition energized her.
Russell raised an eyebrow, leaned over the table and sent the balls spinning in all directions with his break. None of the balls fell in a pocket, though, and he twisted his lip in disappointment.
“Your choice.” He motioned to the balls, stepped away from the table, and leaned on his cue stick.
“Solids.” Lexie sighted a red ball, took aim, and sank it with the white cue ball. She gave him a wry smile and strolled around the table before choosing her next target, the yellow ball. She banked it off one side before it headed for the corner pocket.
“So you’re lucky. Big deal.” Russell taunted from the other side of the table.
“I assure you, luck has nothing to do with it.” Lexie re-chalked her cue stick, eyeing him over the top of it.
Her next shot bounced off the edge of the pocket before going in. She couldn’t resist the grin that claimed her face. Should she tell him she’d belonged to a billiards club in college? The next shot missed the pocket, so she moved aside to let Russell approach.
“Your turn, or do you want to concede now?”
“Not on your life! Step back, now. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.” He motioned for her to move farther away.
She burst out laughing. He could be quite entertaining. Soon the game was over with Lexie the winner. Russell asked for a rematch, so they played again, but this time he won.
“Shall we play a tie-breaker or would you like to call it even?”
“Even is fine for now,” she said.
“Let’s have a seat over there and give it a rest.” Russell pointed to two lar
ge armchairs in the corner. When they sat down, he nodded to the decanter on the coffee table before them. “Would you like a cordial?”
Lexie shook her head, but Russell poured himself a small glass of the amber liquid. Her father’s attraction to alcohol had killed any desire she might have had for it. She blamed liquor for the change in her father from a happy, carefree family man to an irritable person no one wanted to be around. Others attributed the cause to the stock market crash when he lost a fortune, driving him to drink for consolation. Other men had reacted the same way, but they weren’t her father.
Russell lifted his glass to her. “To a pretty good billiards player.” He took a sip before resting his elbow on the armrest.
“Pretty good? We’re even, remember?”
“For now, that is.” He eyed her pants and chuckled. “I see you’re wearing your trousers again.”
Lexie crossed her legs and reached down to straighten a cuff on the full pants leg. “Of course. They’re much warmer than skirts.”
The radio in the room played a Benny Goodman tune, reminding her of Robert and how much he liked to dance. Her heart twisted as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. Oh, how she wished he were there with them. Wouldn’t it have been grand if the three of them could have played billiards together? The music ended and an ad for war bonds came on.
“Are you going to buy some of those?” Russell motioned to the radio with his glass.
“Sure.” If her accountant said she could afford to. “I’d like to do something to help.”
“You might want to go to one of the ladies’ club meetings then. I hear they’re working on various ways to support the cause. Of course, a lot of our members contribute financially to the war anyway.”
She wasn’t surprised to hear that. Her grandfather had helped support the Great War out of his own pocket. However, she’d have to find another way to help.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go to one of the meetings. I just don’t know how long I’ll be here.”
“So what will you do when you go back home?”
She fingered the pearls at her neck. “I hope to return to what I was doing before.” At his raised eyebrows, she continued. “I worked in a hospital.”
“Is that right? Never pictured you as a nurse.”
